HUNTSVILLE MAN, WOMAN AMONG 45 SIMCOE-MUSKOKA CASES TODAY

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Two Muskoka cases top the COVID numbers today in Simcoe-Muskoka where 45 people are reported to have tested positive since yesterday.

  • One is a man aged 45-64 who got it through the community with a first episode of Feb. 11 and reported Feb. 16.
  • The other is a woman, 18-34, with close contact and a first episode of Feb. 12 and reported Feb. 16.

They bring to 125 this week the number Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) reports Thursday Feb. 18.

And 6,114 total cases.

Plus the 180th death.

Both the province and Public Health Ontario reported the same daily case count on their websites.

And the health unit says the deadly outbreak at Roberta Place is officially over.

This as Ottawa hints that one vaccine shot may be enough to ward off virus amid supply shortage.

Meanwhile, Ontario was back up to more than a thousand cases for the first time in five days, reporting 1,038 and 44 deaths.

Toronto claimed only 376, York saw 122 cases (627,656 total) and Peel 142 cases.

This as Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott says the province may delay loosening restrictions for Toronto and Peel as they requested yesterday.

An interesting look at 2021 cases in Ontario the past month, from the province’s COVID website.

HEALTH UNIT HIGHLIGHTS:

  • To date 168 local cases have been tested positive for the COVID-19 variant of concern UK B.1.1.7 and an additional 156 cases have screened positive (awaiting confirmatory testing)
  • Over 28,485 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Simcoe Muskoka — but none again yesterday.
  • This includes more than 12,500 individuals who have received both of the required doses of the vaccine. In addition, 2,942 (92%) long-term care residents and 2,523 (69%) retirement home residents have received their first dose.
  • There have been 125 new cases reported to the health unit for the current week. There were 210 new cases last week and 284 the wee before.
  • The health unit, has declared the COVID-19 outbreak at RVH’s Specialized Seniors Care over. The unit is once again open to transfers and new admissions. Due to the ongoing community spread and the presence of the variant, RVH continues to restrict visitors across all units in the health centre. RVH continues to have one unit within the facility on outbreak – the Cancer and Palliative Unit which is closed to new admissions and transfers.

IN OTHER COVID NEWS …

  • Dr. Howard Njoo, Canada’s deputy chief public health officer, says it’s possible that single doses of the vaccine could be enough and that a second dose isn’t needed as the feds still maintains that new supplies are on track.
  • And Ottawa has set a new timeline of July 1 for 14.5 million Canadians to be immunized with one of the two vaccines — and possibly 10 million more.
  • As Canada continues to welcome refugees, it says it will pay to quarantine them in hotels for two weeks when they arrive.
At a glance, here’s today’s by the numbers from the health unit.
Al Diplock, of Torrance, is taking no chances when shopping in town for extra groceries. He says at his age he takes nothing for granted anymore, including news that COVID cases are slowly going down even in Muskoka.

Email mark@muskokatoday.com or news@muskokatoday.com

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